Wow, what can I say? Every time I watched this team, they impress more and more. This team is not only good offensively, they are stifling on defense. They are deep and they can adjust to any press that is thrown at them. You want to press? Go ahead, they'll just score under the basket quickly. You want to man up? Go ahead, they will find the open shooter. No matter what the situation, JMU answers the call. Remember, this is a team that only lost to UNC by 3 points, by Vanderbilt by 4 points and had beaten St. John's, Pittsburgh, and UCLA earlier in the year. If you are not at the games, then you are missing out.
This team played in front 4,589. In the first part of the first half, JMU had scored 21 points and held Towson to 0 points. That's right, 0 points. Towson's first point came at the free throw line. By the end of the half, JMU had scored 47 points to Towson's lowly 11 points. Tell me if that isn't stifling defense?
By the end of the game, Giggets would score a career high 26 points, Jazmon with spectacular blocks, Mickens with 6 assist, Newman with 7 assist, and the list goes on and on. This is truly a team effort, but the MVP has to go to Giggets for her performance and Jazmon continues to show why she is a growing force to be reckon with on defense (along with Nikki). Pure dominance today, pure fun. Keep it JMU Women's basketball team!
Today's final JMU 82 Towson 40.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Alcorn State No Match For JMU
First off I want to apologize to everyone for not keeping up the blog this year. I recently took a job as a Registered Nurse at a local facility during the evenings. Because of that, I am missing many of the games. But I was able to make this one. All I have to say about this game is that JMU was dominant on both ends of the ball. This is the first time I have ever seen JMU dominate a team in Division 1 as I did today. Take this for example. JMU had 13 offensive rebounds, 52 points in the paint, and by halftime only allowed 16 points. The halftime score was 54-16. Everyone that was on the team scored points. I only noted a few sloppy moments in the game, but for the majority of the game they played like champs.
I was impressed. The last three games were against UVA, Liberty, and Richmond and they won all three convincingly. They won today's game 87-42. There is no doubt that JMU is the best team in Virginia. There isn't a team in Virginia that can beat them. Their next opponent is UCLA in the Gulf Coast Showcase, unfortunately a tournament that I will miss, but hoping for great results. Just think if this team pulls off wins against UCLA, possibly Mississippi State, and North Carolina State? Could be top 25 by the time they play Vanderbilt.
Right now JMU is 4-0, keep up the good work JMU! Go Dukes.
I was impressed. The last three games were against UVA, Liberty, and Richmond and they won all three convincingly. They won today's game 87-42. There is no doubt that JMU is the best team in Virginia. There isn't a team in Virginia that can beat them. Their next opponent is UCLA in the Gulf Coast Showcase, unfortunately a tournament that I will miss, but hoping for great results. Just think if this team pulls off wins against UCLA, possibly Mississippi State, and North Carolina State? Could be top 25 by the time they play Vanderbilt.
Right now JMU is 4-0, keep up the good work JMU! Go Dukes.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
JMU OOC Schedule A Good One
I don't know about any of you, but I am excited about this out of conference (OOC) schedule. If you weren't familiar with JMU and which conference they play in, your immediate thoughts would be wow, is this a BCS team? The only negative to this schedule is that JMU is playing Virginia at 7 p.m. on November 8. That is unfortunately the same day the JMU men's program is playing at Virginia (I had originally seen the time for game at 7 p.m., but it has changed to TBA) so hopefully the games will be played at different times to allow both fan bases to travel and see both games.
Back to the schedule, this is certainly a schedule that can get the Dukes into the top 25. On the schedule there are 2 ACC teams, 1 Big East team, 1 SEC team, 1 PAC 12 team, and the possibility to have other top rated teams on the schedule (Gulf Coast Showcase).
Based off of last year - JMU's RPI was 71 (according to wbbstate.com). The RPI from last year for our opponents are as follows: Virginia - 100, Liberty - 67, Richmond - 102, Alcorn St - 340, UCLA - 11, Pittsburgh - 237, Prairie View - 201, St. John's - 39, Vanderbilt - 29, Ohio - 320, Norkolk State - 327 or UMBC - 289.
As you can see there are teams with some very strong RPI numbers, while a few have low RPI. Either way, this is one tough schedule. Keep in mind that JMU will be playing Virginia and Vanderbilt at the Convocation center this year, including Alcorn State, Ohio, and Norfolk State/UMBC. Our neutral floor games are UCLA and one of the following Mississippi State (Last year RPI- 197) or Grand Canyon (D1 Transitional) Bracket for Gulf Coast Showcase. Our away games are Liberty, Richmond, Pittsburgh, Prairie View (@ St. John's), and St. John's.
If this team can pull off a couple of upsets and go into conference play with a winning record, we could see a magical season by the Lady Dukes unfold. I'm stoked and I hope you are too!
UPDATE:
Here is a partial conference schedule (Towson/Northeastern/JMU have yet to release their conference schedule). Was able to pull up the dates by going to each individual team site.
Our home games are
1/12 - Delaware
1/23 - Drexel
1/31 - Charleston
2/13 - UNCW
2/23 - Hofstra
3/2 - W & M
Back to the schedule, this is certainly a schedule that can get the Dukes into the top 25. On the schedule there are 2 ACC teams, 1 Big East team, 1 SEC team, 1 PAC 12 team, and the possibility to have other top rated teams on the schedule (Gulf Coast Showcase).
Based off of last year - JMU's RPI was 71 (according to wbbstate.com). The RPI from last year for our opponents are as follows: Virginia - 100, Liberty - 67, Richmond - 102, Alcorn St - 340, UCLA - 11, Pittsburgh - 237, Prairie View - 201, St. John's - 39, Vanderbilt - 29, Ohio - 320, Norkolk State - 327 or UMBC - 289.
As you can see there are teams with some very strong RPI numbers, while a few have low RPI. Either way, this is one tough schedule. Keep in mind that JMU will be playing Virginia and Vanderbilt at the Convocation center this year, including Alcorn State, Ohio, and Norfolk State/UMBC. Our neutral floor games are UCLA and one of the following Mississippi State (Last year RPI- 197) or Grand Canyon (D1 Transitional) Bracket for Gulf Coast Showcase. Our away games are Liberty, Richmond, Pittsburgh, Prairie View (@ St. John's), and St. John's.
If this team can pull off a couple of upsets and go into conference play with a winning record, we could see a magical season by the Lady Dukes unfold. I'm stoked and I hope you are too!
UPDATE:
Here is a partial conference schedule (Towson/Northeastern/JMU have yet to release their conference schedule). Was able to pull up the dates by going to each individual team site.
Our home games are
1/12 - Delaware
1/23 - Drexel
1/31 - Charleston
2/13 - UNCW
2/23 - Hofstra
3/2 - W & M
Away Games
1/19 - Hofstra
1/26 - UNCW
2/4 - W & M
2/16 - Drexel
2/20 - Delaware
2/27 - Charleston
1/19 - Hofstra
1/26 - UNCW
2/4 - W & M
2/16 - Drexel
2/20 - Delaware
2/27 - Charleston
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Thank You Dukes!
I just want to take this time to say thank you Lady Dukes. The game today was superb and even though the Dukes came on the losing end, they should not be ashamed. It was awesome watching the Dukes in this game and their fever to win, but it was like that all year long. Yeah, the team started off 3-6, but they came on strong and showed why they were a team to be reckon with. The NCAA messed up by not giving an at-large bid to a CAA team. The CAA was underrated this year.
This year we saw awesome play from Tarik Hislop-remember when she put up maddening numbers in the Cancun trip and helped propel JMU over Green Bay? Not only that, but she received the ESPN player of the Week honors. How awesome was that?
Kanita Shepherd, wow, banged up with injuries and finally got to play this year, she made the most of it and came up huge in several games. The blocks she had, the shots she made down low were great. She was the fire in the team. When things were going or not going, she was there pumping up the team and crowd. With Tarik Hislop and Kanita Shepherd leaving the team, I wish them all the best. They were awesome!
When Nikki Newman went down verses Duquesne, the season could have been written off. We lost one of the best defensive guards in the country and the team could have fallen off. But they didn't, in that same game you started to see Precious Hall insert herself, among the other freshman and from that particular injury, the team began to gel. It was great watching the team step up when faced with adversity.
Kirby Burkholder, what can be said about her, she was awesome all year long, even when shots weren't falling, she grabbed rebounds and put the ball back up to score. She is without doubt one of the best shooting guard in the CAA. Not only can she shoot, but she can defend and grab rebounds, that is how great of a player she is. This year she ends the season just 15 points away from 1,000 career points. Congrats Kirby Burkholder.
Crystal Ross had some amazing games. I was extremely happy for her because she showed how good of a player she can be when she lays it all on the court. She has some really nice moves and she has height. One of her best games had to be against NCST in the WNIT. She was superb in how she disrupted passes and shots. She played with a vigor that I haven't seen her play in quite some time and it was awesome. I hope that she gets more minutes next year and is an even bigger part of the team.
The freshman, yeah, awesome and I mean that. If it weren't for the freshman stepping up, we may not have been able to make the WNIT and have such great play throughout Even when the team had it's worst performance of the year in the Semi-final game in the CAA tournament, it was the Freshman who help lifted the team to victory over NC A&T and NCST.
Precious Hall was one of the best freshman on the floor and she proved it week after week. Even in times of struggle her defense was superb. Destiny Jones, while she didn't play much, was great under the basket. She was tough, it will not surprise me if she isn't an integral part in next years team. Angela Mickens had a rough start, she was raw, but her tenacity, skill, and willingness to be coached finally paid off toward the end of the season. She is fast, she can pass, and she can be a game changer with defense. I don't know how many blocks and steals she had, but some of those were the most acrobatic blocks and steals I had ever seen. She is fun to watch, no doubt.
And lets not forget about R-Freshman Jazmon Gwathmey, who came into the season an unknown. It is amazing how much she has developed. If Precious Hall wasn't getting all the Freshman of the Week accolades, I am sure she would have been considered the freshman of the year candidate. She was simply amazing. Of all the freshman, she had a very smooth shot and a tenacity to get after it under the basket. And her defense was just as good as any on the court if not better at times.
Ladies, thank you for your effort, tenacity, and your heart to play and win the game. All of you were a joy to watch play and I hope that next year you get the chance to prove why you are one of the best teams in the country. Train well for next season and set your goals high, because you are one of the best teams in the country.
Go Dukes!
This year we saw awesome play from Tarik Hislop-remember when she put up maddening numbers in the Cancun trip and helped propel JMU over Green Bay? Not only that, but she received the ESPN player of the Week honors. How awesome was that?
Kanita Shepherd, wow, banged up with injuries and finally got to play this year, she made the most of it and came up huge in several games. The blocks she had, the shots she made down low were great. She was the fire in the team. When things were going or not going, she was there pumping up the team and crowd. With Tarik Hislop and Kanita Shepherd leaving the team, I wish them all the best. They were awesome!
When Nikki Newman went down verses Duquesne, the season could have been written off. We lost one of the best defensive guards in the country and the team could have fallen off. But they didn't, in that same game you started to see Precious Hall insert herself, among the other freshman and from that particular injury, the team began to gel. It was great watching the team step up when faced with adversity.
Kirby Burkholder, what can be said about her, she was awesome all year long, even when shots weren't falling, she grabbed rebounds and put the ball back up to score. She is without doubt one of the best shooting guard in the CAA. Not only can she shoot, but she can defend and grab rebounds, that is how great of a player she is. This year she ends the season just 15 points away from 1,000 career points. Congrats Kirby Burkholder.
Crystal Ross had some amazing games. I was extremely happy for her because she showed how good of a player she can be when she lays it all on the court. She has some really nice moves and she has height. One of her best games had to be against NCST in the WNIT. She was superb in how she disrupted passes and shots. She played with a vigor that I haven't seen her play in quite some time and it was awesome. I hope that she gets more minutes next year and is an even bigger part of the team.
The freshman, yeah, awesome and I mean that. If it weren't for the freshman stepping up, we may not have been able to make the WNIT and have such great play throughout Even when the team had it's worst performance of the year in the Semi-final game in the CAA tournament, it was the Freshman who help lifted the team to victory over NC A&T and NCST.
Precious Hall was one of the best freshman on the floor and she proved it week after week. Even in times of struggle her defense was superb. Destiny Jones, while she didn't play much, was great under the basket. She was tough, it will not surprise me if she isn't an integral part in next years team. Angela Mickens had a rough start, she was raw, but her tenacity, skill, and willingness to be coached finally paid off toward the end of the season. She is fast, she can pass, and she can be a game changer with defense. I don't know how many blocks and steals she had, but some of those were the most acrobatic blocks and steals I had ever seen. She is fun to watch, no doubt.
And lets not forget about R-Freshman Jazmon Gwathmey, who came into the season an unknown. It is amazing how much she has developed. If Precious Hall wasn't getting all the Freshman of the Week accolades, I am sure she would have been considered the freshman of the year candidate. She was simply amazing. Of all the freshman, she had a very smooth shot and a tenacity to get after it under the basket. And her defense was just as good as any on the court if not better at times.
Ladies, thank you for your effort, tenacity, and your heart to play and win the game. All of you were a joy to watch play and I hope that next year you get the chance to prove why you are one of the best teams in the country. Train well for next season and set your goals high, because you are one of the best teams in the country.
Go Dukes!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Dukes Were Smokin'-WNIT 3rd Round
What was suppose to be a defensive battle and a game where Fordham only allowed 52 points a game turned into a feeding frenzy for the Dukes. The game started off with a Toia Giggets put up, and multiple 3's from Kirby Burkholder. Kirby was hot tonight-she was like ice, because even with hands in her face, she put a flame in the hearts of all Dukes, but froze hearts of the Rams. Unfortunately, toward the end of the first half after building a 13 point lead, Fordham would get within 6 points at the half.
The second half started just as well as the first half, but Fordham at the beginning was able to pull within 2 points, but that was the closest they will ever get. From then on, it was all JMU. JMU would win by 16 points.
So Kirby was the star of the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds (that's right, another double-double). Precious Hall had 14 points, Toia Giggets was a beast again, she has been absolutely awesome under the basket these last few games. She scored 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 4 steals. Jazmon Gwathmey was again amazing with her defense and nice looking shot and had 11 points and 4 rebounds. Kanita Shepherd played strong tonight and had a really nice block that did lead to a score on the other end of the floor.
I felt that Fordham was just over matched. We were a lot faster and more athletic than they were. We pretty much dictated tempo the whole game, but it helps when you are getting plays and blocks that frustrate players. I laughed hard at one play in the first half when Kanita was guarding their big and all the center could do was show frustration while making an ill advised shot. The facial expression she made before putting up a shot was priceless.
So the next game is at the Convocation Center at 4 PM on Saturday and JMU will host the Florida Gators. Florida is a very good team, reminds me a little bit like Syracuse in that they have to play all of their games away. They are a much taller team than Fordham. They have 3 players that can score and those three players score at least 11 points a game. They hold a .500 record at away games. I may be wrong on this, but they don't look like a team that loves to shoot the 3, although they do shoot the 3. They seem like a pretty good defensive team and a team that likes to shoot from inside.
Notes:
The one thing I noticed in the game against Fordham was that they were very good at getting separation and getting shots off. We need to limit that and not oversell, because it definitely burned us on a few occasions. Anyway, good job ladies and look forward to seeing you on Saturday...Go Dukes!
Box Score: http://admin.xosn.com/fls/14400/stats/wbasketball/2013/jmu0327.htm?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=14400
Dukes Won 77-61.
The second half started just as well as the first half, but Fordham at the beginning was able to pull within 2 points, but that was the closest they will ever get. From then on, it was all JMU. JMU would win by 16 points.
So Kirby was the star of the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds (that's right, another double-double). Precious Hall had 14 points, Toia Giggets was a beast again, she has been absolutely awesome under the basket these last few games. She scored 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 4 steals. Jazmon Gwathmey was again amazing with her defense and nice looking shot and had 11 points and 4 rebounds. Kanita Shepherd played strong tonight and had a really nice block that did lead to a score on the other end of the floor.
I felt that Fordham was just over matched. We were a lot faster and more athletic than they were. We pretty much dictated tempo the whole game, but it helps when you are getting plays and blocks that frustrate players. I laughed hard at one play in the first half when Kanita was guarding their big and all the center could do was show frustration while making an ill advised shot. The facial expression she made before putting up a shot was priceless.
So the next game is at the Convocation Center at 4 PM on Saturday and JMU will host the Florida Gators. Florida is a very good team, reminds me a little bit like Syracuse in that they have to play all of their games away. They are a much taller team than Fordham. They have 3 players that can score and those three players score at least 11 points a game. They hold a .500 record at away games. I may be wrong on this, but they don't look like a team that loves to shoot the 3, although they do shoot the 3. They seem like a pretty good defensive team and a team that likes to shoot from inside.
Notes:
The one thing I noticed in the game against Fordham was that they were very good at getting separation and getting shots off. We need to limit that and not oversell, because it definitely burned us on a few occasions. Anyway, good job ladies and look forward to seeing you on Saturday...Go Dukes!
Box Score: http://admin.xosn.com/fls/14400/stats/wbasketball/2013/jmu0327.htm?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=14400
Dukes Won 77-61.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Dukes Knock Out NC State-2nd Round WNIT
This was a seesaw battle that featured a physical, but big North Carolina State team vs a smaller and skinnier , but a little more athletic team in James Madison. For most of the game, both teams couldn't shake the other off. While Kirby Burkholder didn't have her best shooting night, she still managed to collect 14 points and 9 rebounds. Tarik Hislop had a great game today and made some big shots, especially a 3-pointer late in the game. She finished with 19 points, 4 assist, 4 rebounds. Another big time player was Toia Giggets, she was money today, she worked and frustrated Markeisha Gatling all game long and held her to 12 points. Giggets scored 16 points and 6 rebounds.
Okay so, Crystal Ross. She was great today and I mean great. The stats aren't going to show it and she didn't score any points but her defense is a big reason why JMU was able to get the lead in the second half and hold on at the end. The stats are going to say that she had 5 rebounds and 2 steals, but her presence gave NCST major problems. She disrupted passes, blocked passes and intercepted balls, something that I hardly have ever seen her do. But today, she deserves all the credit in the world. I hope the next game she plays just as good.
So what was the big moment of the game. This was such a major moment that NCST was never able to recover from it. It was huge. Angela "Muff" Mickens gets fouled, she misses a FT after the time out and somehow rebounds her own shots. She kicks the ball back to Hislop and Hislop buries a 3-pointer. Moments later, Mickens gets a steal and Giggets passes to Burkholder who lays it in. Then Giggets hits 2-pointer, followed by a Mickens missed FT and rebound, where Mickens passes underneath to Burkholder for a put up. That sequence was part of a 18-5 run and it was fun to watch. By the end of the run, JMU had taken a 60-47 lead. At the beginning of the run JMU was tied at 42. BTW, Mickens finished with 10 points, 4 assist, and 3 steals.
The next opponent will be Fordham. This is another really good team. They have a couple of really good shooters and are also a very good defensive team. The game will be at the Convocation Center at 7 PM on Wednesday. We need all of you to be there and cheer on the Dukes. The common opponent is Duquesne. We lost to Duquesne at the beginning of the year and they beat Duquesne.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Comeback Dukes-WNIT
When the Dukes weren't playing well in the first half, as a fan you were thinking, oh no, not good. It sort of reminded me of this past Saturday when the Dukes played one of their worst games ever. It was almost like deja vu, but this time, the team actually scored 31 points in the half. The NC A&T Aggies were up 7 at the half with 38 points.
Obviously this wasn't going to be an easy game. If you looked at their schedule you would know that they beaten Liberty, W&M, UNCW, and like JMU lost to Richmond. This was a good team and they showed it. Not only did they show it, but for a full 28 minutes held the lead. At one point they were up by as many as 13 points. But the Lady Dukes wouldn't go away and they kept fighting.
In the second half, the Dukes would get within 1 point, but then Amber Calvin (25 points, 7-9 from 3-pt) of NC A&T would help the Aggies go back up 8 points. But that would be the last run the Aggies would make, at least one that would give them such a large lead. Over the course of the next 14 minutes, the Lady Dukes would put on a comeback that would spark them to win by 13 points. It was something to behold.
Every player for the Dukes contributed. I give a lot of props to Kanita Shepherd, she was wonderful under the basket tonight and on defense. Kirby came to her own tonight and scored yet another double-double. Tarik Hislop while having somewhat of a rough night shooting, still managed to score 17 points. But the one player that deserves a lot of credit is Angela "Muff" Mickens. Wow, what can I say. She came up big in the second half. When Amber Calvin was hitting threes, Mickens was able to get a shot block and score on the other end. When Amber Calvin came back into the game with about 2 minutes to play, Mickens stole the ball from her. If you want to know if Mickens was doing something and getting into the minds of the players, look no further than Amber Calvin. After Mickens stole the ball, Calvin looked down to the floor dejected, then she just jogged to get on defense. This was when I knew that JMU had won the game.
Never stop fighting Ladies and good job tonight!
Next game will be against North Carolina State and will be at the Convocation center at JMU. The time of the game will be at 2 PM. Pack the convo again, Go Dukes!!
Box Notes http://www.jmusports.com/newLiveStats/Basketball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=1100033&db_oem_id=14400
Obviously this wasn't going to be an easy game. If you looked at their schedule you would know that they beaten Liberty, W&M, UNCW, and like JMU lost to Richmond. This was a good team and they showed it. Not only did they show it, but for a full 28 minutes held the lead. At one point they were up by as many as 13 points. But the Lady Dukes wouldn't go away and they kept fighting.
In the second half, the Dukes would get within 1 point, but then Amber Calvin (25 points, 7-9 from 3-pt) of NC A&T would help the Aggies go back up 8 points. But that would be the last run the Aggies would make, at least one that would give them such a large lead. Over the course of the next 14 minutes, the Lady Dukes would put on a comeback that would spark them to win by 13 points. It was something to behold.
Every player for the Dukes contributed. I give a lot of props to Kanita Shepherd, she was wonderful under the basket tonight and on defense. Kirby came to her own tonight and scored yet another double-double. Tarik Hislop while having somewhat of a rough night shooting, still managed to score 17 points. But the one player that deserves a lot of credit is Angela "Muff" Mickens. Wow, what can I say. She came up big in the second half. When Amber Calvin was hitting threes, Mickens was able to get a shot block and score on the other end. When Amber Calvin came back into the game with about 2 minutes to play, Mickens stole the ball from her. If you want to know if Mickens was doing something and getting into the minds of the players, look no further than Amber Calvin. After Mickens stole the ball, Calvin looked down to the floor dejected, then she just jogged to get on defense. This was when I knew that JMU had won the game.
Never stop fighting Ladies and good job tonight!
Next game will be against North Carolina State and will be at the Convocation center at JMU. The time of the game will be at 2 PM. Pack the convo again, Go Dukes!!
Box Notes http://www.jmusports.com/newLiveStats/Basketball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=1100033&db_oem_id=14400
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